This simple website, presented by the Minnesota non-profit corporation, Native Languages of the Americas, is “dedicated to the preservation and promotion of endangered American Indian languages”.

When arriving at the link above, you will find a huge list of links in the following categories:

Native Languages of the Americas Online Resources

Native American Language Families

Recommended Books about Native American Languages

Selected Links about Native American Languages

Each category provides a link to another page with even more links to narrow your search for learning material. Under the Native Languages of the Americas Online Resources you will find link to:

An alphabetical list of Native American languages that you can explore

Native American language worksheets that include online picture dictionaries, pronunciation guides, and printable body parts worksheets for over 50 different languages

Vocabulary lists

Geographical index of Native American tribes

Maps of Native American culture areas

Online collection of Native American myths and legends

Native American Facts for Kids

And so much more

In the Native American Language Families section, you will be able to explore over 25 Amerindian language families. The Recommended Books about Native American Languages section provides links to purchase books about Native American languages. Selected Links about Native American Languages contains links to other related websites.

This website would be an excellent supplemental resource in your studies of Native Americans. While this minimally ad supported website may not be fancy, there is an abundance of fascinating information and learning material for those seeking a glimpse into Native American languages.

Step back in time with this website which features a huge digital collection of objects and documents from the Memorial Hall Museum, one of New England’s oldest museums in Old Deerfield, Massachusetts. Through the use of hundreds of images, videos, interactive learning activities, transcribed historical documents, and lesson plans, visitors can gain a window into the past of life in New England.

This site is extremely user friendly with straightforward navigation and clear explanation of all exhibits and activities. When arriving at this website, hover over the text links in the upper blue navigation bar to reveal more refined destinations. Or you may select from the interactive main page image map to begin exploring. There is even a “Just 4 Kids” special image link of a man in a top hat in the upper right corner of the website that brings visitors to a kid-friendly page with an image map linked to some of the interactive activities available.

On the Online Collection page you can narrow your discoveries for these topics:

Explore the Online Collection – using the text links in the instructions, discover the best way to locate items of interest

People, Places and Events – a mini-encyclopedia for researching important people, places and events

Civil War Newspaper Index – search for articles that were published in the Greenfield, Massachusetts Gazette and Courier during the Civil War. (Please note that most of the articles cannot be viewed online but can be viewed on microfilm at the Memorial Libraries)

There are loads of fun and interesting interactive activities to find on the Things to Do page. Just a few of those activities include:

Dress Up – see, hear, and learn about the clothing of American history interactively

First Person – read about and listen to audios of 20th century histories from the people who lived them

Magic Lens – easily read the fanciful writing of old manuscripts with the use of the interactive “Magic Lens”

Video Demonstrations of Early American Tools – brief videos of how tools from the past were used

Activities from Turns of the Centuries Exhibits – tons of interactive activities to learn more about Family Life, Native Americans, African Americans, Newcomers, and The Land of the years 1680-1920.

And so many more

Be sure to check out the Online Exhibits. Select from:

Turn of the Centuries – focuses on the pivotal time periods of 1680-1720 (the Colonial Period), 1780-1820 (the Federal Period), 1880-1920 (the Progressive and Colonial Revival period)

Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704 – takes you to a new website that explores all sides of the story through audios, images, interactives, and texts. Also includes a link to a Teacher’s Guide with several lesson plans.

Shays Rebellion and the Making of a Nation – opens another website that digs deep into the story, people, artifacts, documents, music and more regarding the rebellion. Also includes a companion study guide located at the “For Teachers” link on the site.

When you are visiting In the Classroom you will find hundreds of lesson plans, online curricula, teacher resources, and other online activities.

This is an extremely well thought out and well-designed website that encourages visitors to explore at length. You will definitely want to add this to your “must see” list when you are studying the history of New England.

This newly refurbished website contains 20 years of research by historian and author Caleb Johnson. It is a comprehensive archive of historical information presented in a user-friendly and engaging way. When you get to the site you’ll see a menu that includes:

*The Mayflower – Discover the history of the Mayflower ship, the voyage, the crew, the passengers, their provisions list, and more.

*Plymouth Colony – Find out about the housing, security, animals/livestock, food, and crime and punishment.

*The Wampanoag – Learn about the Wampanoag people, their language, and renowned leaders and chiefs.

You’ll also find information on the religious beliefs of the Pilgrims, history of the Thanksgiving holiday, Pilgrim clothing, and more.

Fran Wisniewski provides terrific Thanksgiving-themed activities that explore the history of the holiday and the symbols associated with it. Get ready to have some fun!

When you get to the site you’ll see an entry titled “A Brand New World” with discussion questions that encourage kids to imagine what life was like in the 1600s. Use the menu on the left side of the page to find more learning activities including:

The Three Sisters – Find out why Native Americans referred to corn, beans, and squash as the “Three Sisters” and do an art activity that combines all three!

Not only does Fran provide the complete instructions for how to do the activities at home, but she provides pictures of her family’s efforts that clearly illustrate the results you can expect. Plus you’ll find links to more web-based resources to further your learning experience.

This commercial website provides a free, 10-minute interactive, animated video of the geographic history of the United States. As explained at the website, “It visualizes the admission of all the states and the development of the territories, intercut with major historical events.”

While the video is a “sample” of the full product, it is a terrific “stand alone” resource as an engaging overview of US history and geographic expansion from 1780 to 1960.

When you get to the website, read the options for how to view the video and use the interactive features. You can play the video straight through, or choose to view it in parts:

Part I: Completion of Territory (1789-1853)

Part II: The Civil War (1853-1865)

Part III: Post Civil War (1865-1959)

Be sure to turn on your speakers so you can hear the narration that explains the growth of the continental United States. Use your cursor to roll over states to reveal their names, and click on states and rivers to access pop-up windows with additional information.

Note: There is an ad to purchase the expanded version at the end of the presentation.

When you’re through watching the video, check out the example of the timeline, with separate sections for tracking the history of the States, Territories, Presidents, Society, Native Americans, World, Science and Culture here:

This website offers a free, fun, interactive game that teaches about early American colonial history (circa 1600) and the Jamestown settlement.

When you get to the site, just click on “Start the Adventure” to begin the game in which YOU, as the captain of 105 adventurers from England, get to make the decisions about:

Where to land in the New World

What kind of settlement to build

How to interact with the native inhabitants

What crops to plant

What activities and work to do

How to accumulate wealth to repay your sponsors

And other choices that will impact your overall survival.

According to the website, in reality, almost half of the original settlers of Jamestown died due to poor choices in settlement location, management of resources, exposure to disease, and quarrels with the indigenous Powhatan Indians. Can you do any better than the real colonists?

The game provides advice from colonists and Native Americans that will inform your choices. After you’ve made your decisions, you’ll get a printable report on the state of your colony. Compare it with the historical Jamestown colony to determine if your decisions were better than theirs. Then, learn from the mistakes, and play again to see if you can have a more successful outcome.

This website is a companion to a real “Living History Farm” in Nebraska, that offers a variety of free lesson plans about the history of agriculture in America and how technology has changed it. You can also virtually visit the farm by viewing the web cams at the site (see menu) and you take a virtual tour of the Wessels Farm House (see link on home page).

Learn about David Wessels whose estate made possible his vision of a Living History Farm. One of his major concerns “was that today’s kids – both urban and rural – have almost no idea how farmers went from essentially a medieval system of plowing with horses to huge tractors run by computers with global positioning systems and air conditioned cabs.”

The history told at the website includes Native Americans who first cultivated the fields, through the first European immigrants staking out the prairie ground, to boom and bust cycles, and then the incredible technological innovations of the 20th Century.

When you get to the site you’ll find “Learner Resources” that include FREE lesson plans tied to the stories about farming in the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and so on. Written by teachers for classroom use, they can be tweaked for use in the homeschool environment as well.

Be sure to browse the menu and don’t miss the “Media Resources” that include podcast interviews on many aspects of farming history.

The Living History Farm seeks to educate everyone about the role agriculture plays in providing nourishment to the world. If you can’t make it to Nebraska to explore the farm in real time, this is the next best thing.